It's basic motoring but if the price is right the Tata Xenon could find a handy niche.

Tata Xenon Dual Cab first drive review

The paint quality is good, and – in its homeland of India, at least – it has a reputation for toughness and reliability. The doors close with a reassuring thwump. That’s a good start.

The Tata Xenon is not a bad looker either and against some of the fuglies of the genre it could be a Bollywood star.

The cabin is dressed in hard dark grey plastic with light grey highlights. Cloth seat and door trim takes the two shades of grey further too, with some added touches from Mr Squiggle. Some alloy-look splashes give relief to the overall starkness.

Bottle holders in the doors and a pair of cupholders on the console are handy additions.

A steering wheel adjustable only in the vertical plane helps the driver get comfortable, though the pedals are a little high for Drive’s tastes.

The direct-injection 2.2 turbo diesel is a little languid down low in the revs but gets interested upwards of 1600rpm and accelerates pleasingly to 4000rpm, 250 revs short of the redline.

The Tata-engineered five-speed manual has a surprisingly silky shift. A solid application of the brake pedal, simulating an emergency stop, doesn’t reveal any vices.

The steering feels a little heavy initially and the weighting seems uneven. But it’s not a deal breaker. After all, this is a truck rather than a passenger vehicle. The Xenon has a strong and strident horn, a vital crash-avoidance item when driving in India.

Riding on a suspension of torsion bars at the front and leaf springs at the rear, the Xenon moves about a little on bumps and potholes when unladen but should be tamer for a tradie with his gear in the tray.

Will the Tata Xenon manage to convince hard-to-please light commercial buyers to forsake the proven and established players in this segment?